Lemon verbena can be used in both sweet & savory dishes. Because of the leaves’ rough/leathery texture, it is often used to flavor dishes, then discarded before the food is served. It can be steeped in liquids that are then used as an ingredient (especially hot milk, simple syrup, or cream for use in desserts) added to steamer baskets to perfume steamed dishes, or cooked in dishes in a similar fashion to bay leaves.<
Lemon verbena can be left in foods if it is processed beforehand. It can be very finely chopped for use in fruit salads and cold drinks. It can also be put in a food processor with unsalted butter to make lemon verbena compound butter (how to make compound butters) or with sugar to make lemon verbena paste.
Fresh & dried lemon verbena leaves both make great tea when steeped in hot water. For added flavor and caffeine, steep them with green tea.
For dessert applications, try lemon verbena in panna cotta, rice pudding, custards, curds, sorbets and ice cream.